Standardized large-scale networks such as the Internet and the World Wide Web now allow remotely located users (such as at home users) to play video games in an environment that allows the user to select a wide variety of different types of video games provided by several different network gaming system providers. Such standardized large-scale networks also allow a user to play with or compete against other users across the network system.
While providing a prize awarding and redeeming system may be desirable to a game provider over a network gaming system, maintenance of a prize awarding and redeeming system may be very laborious and highly involving for the game provider. A prize awarding and redeeming system must be capable of tracking game credits, prize credits, conversions between game scores and prize credits, etc. Further, the prize awarding and redeeming system must convey this information to users in an effective manner.
Displaying and presenting information of a prize awarding and redeeming system while a user is playing a game of a game provider through the network gaming system is a major problem to overcome. The provider has to present a large amount of information to a user on a single visual display such as a video display monitor. For example, the provider may need to display a current amount of credits available to the user, a current amount of prize credits accumulated by the user, a list of possible prizes available to the user, and even a list of high scores for the game currently being played by the user. The prize provider must find a way to display as much of this information as possible on the visual display of the user in a manner that the user can quickly and easily locate and refer to while still providing enough space for the user to view their selected game on their visual display.
If the information of the prize awarding and redeeming system is poorly presented, the user may have to spend too much time in locating, accessing and retrieving the information. This may lead to the player being distracted from the playing of the game at hand for a duration that is unacceptable for the user. As a result the user may quickly grow dissatisfied with the game and prize system and cease to participate in the game and the prize system.
Additionally, if the information of the prize awarding and redeeming system is presented in a manner that is difficult for users to use, the users may grow weary of spending excessive time locating and retrieving this information. This problem is further exacerbated for users who are connected to the Internet via relatively slow connections such as a modem/telephone line connection. If the information of the prize awarding and redeeming system must be retrieved by a user by accessing additional frames or screens on their visual display, the time the user may have to expend may be excessive and interfere with the user's play of their selected game.